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- (No Model.)

, 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.- G. GHESWRIGHT.

FRAUD PREVENTIVE IN GAPSULED BOTTLES.

No. 447,397. Patented Mar.- 3, 1891.

{No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. O. 'OHESWRIGHT.

FRAUD PREVENTIVE IN GAPSULED BOTTLES. No. 447,397.

. Patented Mar. 3,1891.

WITNESSES UNITED I STATES CHARLES CIIES\VRIGIIT,

PATENT Or uon.

OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

FRAUD-PREVENTIVE IN CAPSULED BOTTLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 447,397, dated MarchS,1891.

Application filed November 4,1889. Serial No. 329,201. (No model.)Patented in England July 31, 1889, No. 12,125, and in France November20,1889,N0.200,5Z5.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES CHESW-RIGHT, manufacturer, a subject of HerMajesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 9 UpperHornseyRise,'London,in the county of Middlesex, England, have inventednew and useful Improvements in Fraud-Preventives in Oapsuled Bottles andother Receptacles, (for which there have been granted Letters Patent inGreat Britain, No. 12,125, dated July 31, 1889, and in France, No.200,525, dated November 20, 1889,) of which the following is aspecification.

This invention is principally int-ended to be applied to champagne andlike. bottles, the

. corks of which are protected by capsules or coverings. Its chiefobject is to protect against fraud by preventing waiters and otherpersons from ripping off or otherwise removing the entire capsule and byinsuring some portions or fragments thereof remaining behindundisturbed. For this purpose my invention consists in the employment ofeither an openended tube or a collar, (hereinafter referred to as acollarette,) conforming in shape to the bottle-neck, to which it is tobe applied, composed of metal sufficiently rigid or hard to beinseverable by a knife, so disposed around or secured to the bottle-neckas'to be incapable of removal therefrom by ordinary means, and soconnected with or secured to the lower portions of the Various kinds ofcapsules or coverings employed to protect the corks or stoppers as toprevent them from being ripped 0% or removed entire and permit theirheads or upper portions only to be removed, some portions or fragmentsof the lower parts of the capsule always remaining behind attached tothe bottle-neck or the col: larette. By embossing the name and trademarkof the bottler upon the collarette I fur-- therguarantee the genuinenessof the contents of the bottle and secure the identification of the brandafter the capsule has been mutilated or partially torn off.

I will now. proceed to describe in detail the manner in which I preferto carry out my invention, having reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which similar letters refer to corresponding parts mall thefigures.

Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent in elevation and plan, respectively,and Fig. 5 in part sec- I tional elevation, some forms of collarettesadapted for carrying out my invention. Figs. 6, 7, 8, and 9 illustratesome of the various ways in which the collarette may be connected with01' secured to the capsule or covering protecting the cork. Figs. 10,11, and 12 show in sectional elevation several modifications,hereinafter referred to; and Figs. 13 and 14. show, respectively insectional elevation and top plan view, still another describedmodification.

a is the collarette, which should conform in shape to the bottle-neck,and embrace it closely.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the collarette is represented in the form ofanopen-ended conical tube without seam or joint, spun from rigid or hardsheet metal and provided with longitudinal slits or cuts 1) forimparting spring or elasticity and permitting it to expandor open andpass over the projecting ring or head usually formed around the upperpart of'a bottle-neck, and then-close tightly upon and grip the neckafter passing such ring.

In Figs. 3 and 4 the collarette a is illustrated in the form of a narrowcollar or band, also represented as provided with slits or cuts 6 toenable it to adapt itself and cleave closely to the bottle-neck. Anadvantage of a collaretteof this form is that it does not alter thepresent general appearance of the ployed, the natural spring orelasticity of their upper slit portions, which causesjthem to grip thebottle-neck closely below such ring, will usually be found sufficient toprevent their withdrawal, additional security against their removal maybe afforded by eu-' circling such upper split portion with a strongmetal or rubber spring 0, contained within a hollow head (I, produced bybending over'outwardly the said upper slit portion of the collarette, asshown in Fig. 5; but although I herein claim this form of device foradding "invention to the necessary inclusion of the head and spring,but, on the contrary, may dispense with such bead and spring, and, in-

deed, any form of added security, or substi tutc other forms of securityat pleasure. Where the smaller end of the collarette is larger indiameter than the projecting ring and can easily pass over the same, itis preferable to preventithe removal thereof by the employment ofadhesive cement.

The collarettes a may be secured to or connected with the capsules orcoverings f employed, so as to eifect the object of this invention invarious ways. I will now describe the methods I prefer to employ.

In Fig. 6 the collarette a surrounds the exterior of the lower portionof the capsule f, embracing it closely. The portion of the capsuleembraced by the collarette is indicated by the dotted lines.

In Fig. 7 the lower portion of the capsule f surrounds the upper part ofthe collarette a, which in this case is formed with milled or roughenedprojecting beads or grooves e, into or between which the capsule isforced by hydraulic pressure in the well-known manner.

- the exterior thereof, as shown.

In Fig. 8 the capsule passes over the exterior of the collarette, hereshown as of the kind illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4-viz., a narroweollar-and its lower edge is turned up inside such collarette, asindicated by thev dotted line.

In Fig. 9 the capsule passes beneath the collarette, and itslower edgeis turned up over In this latter case the removal of the collarette afrom the bottle-neck would preferably be prevented by cementing it tothe capsule f, which in turn would be cemented at its lower part to thebottle-neck.

In all these arrangements it will be seen that, the collarette being ofstifi or rigid metal and not removable from the bottle-neck by ordinarymeans and the lower portion of the capsule being secured to or held bythe collarette, it will be impossible to rip 01f or remove the entirecapsule, save by a great expenditure of time and labor. Some portions orfragments thereof will always remain attached either to the bottle-neckor the collarette. The identification of the bottle will be assisted bythese remaining portions or fragments, and also by the bottlers name andtrade-mark when embossed on the collarette.

Since in order to permit the heads of the capsules employed to be tornoff it is essential that that'portion of such capsules held by orsecured to the collarette should be of flexible easily-torn material, Iprovide the lower collarette. In some cases, also, where rigid or castmetal capsules are employed, I may, in addition to connecting them withthe collarette by a dependent flange or strips of flexible metal,provide them with internal screw-threads and screw them onto thecollarette, which will in this case be provided with externalscrew-threads for their reception. (See Fig. 12.) Upon unscrewing thesecapsules they will be torn from their dependent flanges or strips, whichwill remain behind attached to the collarettes, as evidence that thecapsule has been unscrewed.

In all cases it will be found preferable to perforate with small holes,so as to wealren t, the flexible portion of the capsule which isconnected with the collarette. (See Fig. 10.) This will still furtherinsure the mutilation of the capsule, and will also render it still morediificult, if not impossible, to remove those portions remainingattached to the collarette or the bottle. Solder or cementnnay also beemployed, if desired, as an additional security forattaching the lowerportion of the capsule to the collarette.

In order to facilitate the removal of the head of the capsule, I preferto employ in conjunction with the collarette capsules of the kindillustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 and described in the specification to mypatent, No. 300,047, dated J unelO, 1884:,which'are specially adaptedfor the ready removal of their heads or upper portions, by reason of theweakening openings or spaces formed around them for this purpose. I mayalso in some casesas, for instance, where the collarette surrounds theexterior of the capsule and is free to turn upon the bottle-neck and notsecured thereto by cement-still further facilitate the tearing oil ofthe upper part of the capsule by bending or turning inward the upperportion of the collarette, so as to form an inwardly-projecting flange,which is sharpened to a cutting-edge, as seen in Figs. 13 and 14, andwill, upon the collarette being twisted, sever the capsule.

The collarettes may be spun, as described, or otherwise produced, themethod or process of manufacture forming no part of the pres entinvention.

The rigid metal collarette hereinbefore described is applicable pot onlyfor use in conjunction with capsules of the kind illustrated in mydrawings,'but in conjunction with capsules or coverings for corks orstoppers of or enameled steel, nickeled tin-plate, iron, tin, and zinc,also steel-foil.

It will be obvious that, apar-t'from as apreventer of fraud, thecollarette described and illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawingswill be useful for impartingan ornamental appearance to bottles of anydescriptiomwhether capsuled or not, and will also. especially whenapplied to champagnebottles, effect a considerable saving in the amountof metal employed in making thecollarette or sleeve connected therewithand fitting over the bottle-neck, such an arrangement being described inthe specification to my patent No. 300,047, dated June 10, 1884, and

my English patent, No. 2,131 of 1883, and suggested in the Englishprovisional specification of-Gros, No. 1,729, of 1881; Neither do Iclaim, broadly, a collarette provided with slits or cuts b to enable itto open out and pass over a projecting flange and then close again, suchan arrangement being described in the specification to Cooks patent, No.87,146, dated February 23,1869.

Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates. is-

1. Means for preventing fraud in sealed bottles and like receptacles,comprising a collarette a, composed of thin metal sufficiently rigid orhard to be. inseverable by a knife,

its use and having slits or cuts 1) formed therein, and a cap or coverf, protecting the corkand com? posed of flexible easily-torn materialwhere connected with the collaret-te, all constructed and arranged asspecified.

2. The collarette herein described, COllSlSl'n ing of an open-ended tubeslitted longitudinally and constructed of metal which is sufficientlyrigid or hard to be inseverable by a knife and applicable to a bottle,substantially as set forth, combined with a. capsule and aneasily-ruptured connection between the collarette and capsule,substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a collarette a, provided with slits or cuts b,of the outwardlyprojecting hollow bead d, containing a spring c,substantially asspecified.

- 4-. Means for preventing fraud in sealed bottles, comprising acollarette composed of thin metal sufliciently rigid or hard to beinseverable by a knife and applicable to a bottle, substantially assetforth, and a capsule constructed of a material that is readily severable, a portion of which is secured to the collarette with sufficientpermanence to resist the removal of the capsule intact, combined with abot le and its cork, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

CHAR-LES OI-IESW RIGHT.

Vitnesses:

' STEWART GLINcH, 16 Cam's dc Tou-mzow' M. VISSER, Y 7 Y 16 Rue deBandage, Jlfonrepoanear Bordeaux.

